The Night At Gold Saucer
by mira ff
Summary: Who says Cloud only went on one date at Gold Saucer? A one shot that examines the infamous ff7 love triangle. Should be obvious who's the main focus if you've read my other stuff...


**A/N: oh man, it's been waaaaay too long. I've missed this. Series took over my life for a while, but my apathy for school is once again setting in, so that means hopefully more fanfics! (though I still need to get started on a longer piece :/) **

**Some useless one shot that I felt like writing while I try to get over my writer's block.**

**Oh...and I guess I should warn that this is definately more Cloti than anything (sorry Aerith fans), though there is no bashing of any kind. It's from Tifa's POV though...**

**Disclaimer: FF7 isn't mine. And some of the dialogue isn't exactly mine either (whoops). Some parts borrowed from the actual in game scenes.**

**have fun**

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The night was cool, crisp almost. Tifa would have expected herself to be at least a little frightened sleeping here, but she felt strangely calm. _A change for once._ The past events had been so mind boggling, so stressful. Even the ghost hotel seemed less haunting in comparison. _Just relax_. She cracked her knuckles, slipping off her gloves. The bed creaked as she plopped on the comforter, her steel-toed boots left on. "Finally." Her body was enveloped in relaxation. Tifa's dark brown eyes were drifting off, getting ready for sleep when the torrent of water came humming from the connected bathroom.

"…Ugh." She dragged her body up, smoothing out her black skirt in the process. The shower steam was slowly flowing out of the crack in the door. Tifa pushed off the bed and took off her boots, noting that she most definitely needed a shower before sleeping. _I'm a total mess._

She waited patiently outside, and soon, another sound was joining in with the water. _Yuffie…_ Her voice was shrill, and the words to the song she was singing completely undistinguishable. But Tifa smiled nonetheless.

Waiting for the ninja was becoming longer than anticipated, and Tifa found herself slowly fading back to sleep, even in her standing position.

"Hey."

It broke her daze. Her dark eyes focused on the small figure in front of her, pink dress smooth, hair perfect. Tifa blinked, "You look nice, Aerith."

She smiled softly, "Thanks." Aerith looked a little timid, which was strange for her. Grabbing Tifa's hand, Aerith dragged her to the corner of the bed. "I want to talk to you."

_Not good._

Aerith's voice was laced with a certain eagerness. Tifa cleared her throat. "…is something wrong?" But she already expected it wasn't _too_ bad…at least not for Aerith herself.

"No…well I hope not. How are you?"

_Me?_

"Fine…what's going on, Aerith?" Tifa looked at the Cetra closely. Her green eyes were unfocused, looking at the floor and not Tifa's face. She seemed almost edgy, but Aerith was always calm, confident. _Maybe something is wrong. _

Aerith breathed out smoothly and finally placed her gaze back on Tifa's face, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure. Anything." _It must be important…_ Tifa searched her thoughts for a second. _Some kind of favor maybe? Maybe she needs to borrow materia? Or a potion?_ But that didn't seem right. Aerith was acting too weird for a simple favor. _No…it's something more personal, isn't it?_ She suddenly didn't like where this was going.

Aerith stood up and edged herself away from the younger woman. "It's about Cloud."

She faked confusion, "What about Cloud?"

But Tifa knew. It became obvious at times that Aerith was _interested_ in the spiky haired blonde. And a couple of times, he seemed equally interested in her. _Please don't say it, Aerith. _ Her reddish brown eyes were pleading.

"I was going to take him out."

_Like a date?_ "…oh."

"…You know, to do Gold Saucer things."

Tifa looked away, turning back to the bathroom door. She silently let loose her heavy breath. "…Okay."

The Cetra approached her cautiously, "You don't mind?"

"Why would I?" Tifa stood up, suddenly defensive. "Go for it."

Aerith's face began to glow. A light smile coolly formed on her lips, clearly reflecting her happiness with Tifa's statement. "So…you don't."

"I don't what?" Tifa faked a laugh, "Oh! You think I like Cloud?" She shook her head profusely, "Don't be silly, Aerith. We're friends, have been since childhood." But even that last statement didn't seem right.

Turning towards the door, Aerith gave Tifa one last bright smile. "That's good to know, Tifa. I'm sorry that I thought otherwise." She gave the girl a slight wave, giggling. "Don't wait up!" And left the room.

_How am I supposed to sleep?_

Tifa fell back on to the bed, forgetting all about physical exhaustion. _Always too late._

It was like a curse.

She always missed her chance with Cloud. In Nibelheim, he left before she realized she had feelings for him, and now…now she was too afraid to make a move.

_And this is what happens…why couldn't you do it?_ She rolled onto her stomach, suppressing her frustrated groan with the bed comforter.

The groan became louder as the past event just sunk in. _ And why couldn't you have just said yes?_ _Yes, I mind! _Tifa didn't understand. Aerith was a good friend. She would have respected Tifa's feelings, wouldn't she?

Tifa scoffed. _But who am I to get in the way of that?_ The chilling air of the hotel was finally permeating her skin. She sank deeper into the sheets, knotting her dark straight hair under a pillow.

"Caught you at a bad time, didn't I?" Yuffie's light voice came from out of the bathroom. Tifa soon felt the ninja's weight join her on the bed. "You look kind of dead, Tifa."

Tifa's last sense of serenity slipped, "…Yuffie please."

"What?? Just speaking the truth. You do realize we're in an amusement park, right?"

Tifa sat up, running her fingers gently through her hair. "Yeah."

The ninja's face was grinning wildly, "So let's go have some fun! We've been chasing Mr. Crazy SOLDIER for ages now. We need a break!"

"My break involves a lot of sleeping."

Yuffie pouted, "So you're not coming?"

Tifa shook her head. _Not with the chance of seeing Aerith and Cloud together_. But she supposed she would have to see that eventually. _Better delay it as long as possible_. "I'm sorry, Yuffie. Maybe after I take a quick nap."

The teenager rolled her eyes, "Jeez, only 20 and already an old lady. Suit yourself." Yuffie trotted out of the room, leaving Tifa alone, but the shower unoccupied.

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She had lost all sense of time, the running water distracting her mind from reality. For the first time in a while, her skin felt clean, no longer caked with dirt or blood. Her knuckles were still worn, but Tifa could deal with that.

Eventually, the humid steam started to get to her, and Tifa left the shower, changing back into a semi-clean black skirt and white tank top.

Sinking back onto the bed, Tifa attempted to console her mind. "What did you expect exactly?"

She didn't know. It wasn't like Cloud was going to suddenly profess his devotion to her after a 7 year absence. _Or 6 year, according to him...so weird._ But that was an issue for another night.

The fire in the hotel room was slowly flickering out. Creaky floors and muted ghost wails were entrenching the area, only deepening Tifa's isolated state. Aerith's melodic words were floating back and forth. _Don't wait up…don't wait. _ Tifa got up from the bed, not caring that her hair was still soaked. "I'm only 20. I have my whole life." She slipped on her gloves and cast Ice 1 on the fire, leaving the room for the night.

The hallway was empty, besides the brief appearance of translucent spirits. Not seeing any of her friends, Tifa started off down the stairs. _Yuffie's right. This is an amusement park. I can't let things stop me from having fun._

The martial artist approached the central square, momentarily dazzled by the bright lights and high energy of the people around her. Her eyes caught a familiar figure, "Cait Sith?"

The black and white robotic cat turned the fluffy white moogle around. He seemed to smile awkwardly, "Hey Tifa!"

"What are you doing out here?"

Cait Sith only grinned more, "Oh! Um…fortune telling of course. You know, some extra gil."

Suppressing her suspicions, Tifa cracked a smile, "Oh?" She paused for a second and rummaged through her gil, "Take mine. I'm kind of curious."

The little paw pushed the gil away, "For you, Tifa, it's free. Can't guarantee the accuracy though. Give me a sec." Cait Sith closed his eyes and became deep in thought. "...Hmm…you're worried about something…something important to you, right?"

It was impossible to hide her faint blush as her thoughts immediately strayed to Cloud, "Oh, um…"

"What am I saying? Of course you are! Who isn't worried about what that lunatic Sephiroth is doing?" Cait Sith grinned, seeing Tifa nod. "Hmm, well what ever it is, you shouldn't worry about it too much. Everything will eventually fall in the proper place, and you'll be happy when it's all over. You just need to be patient." The robotic cat nodded, seeming incredibly pleased with himself. "Well that's good news."

Her blush only deepened, "Most definitely, if it's true, Cait Sith."

"It better be!...Now, I…um, have some important business to attend to…see ya!" And the moogle ran off towards the Battle Square.

Tifa shrugged off his abrupt exit and continued to wander, trying to figure out which distracting activity she should do first. _…Event Square?...too vague. Battle Square?...way too tired. _

"Hmm, maybe Chocobo Racing?" She suddenly dismissed the thought, realizing who the yellow, feathery birds would remind her of. _I could play games…earn GP? _ But that seemed kind of pointless, it wasn't real money anyway.

"Wasn't that fun, Cloud?"

Tifa immediately slunk back at the voice. _Crap!!! Why is there no where to hide?_ The yellow room had no corners or structures, nothing but tunnels leading to other destinations. Her only hope to avoid inevitable embarrassment was to try and blend in with the crowd.

There was a group of tourists chatting away on one side, a perfect cover. She slipped in between people, blending in effortlessly, but still paying attention to the two figures in front of her.

The blonde man she was watching looked distracted, "…Why did they pick us for the play?"

"Because we were lucky! It was fun though," said the brunette beside him.

The blonde didn't seem to agree, "They didn't even give us time to practice."

"We didn't need to. You vanquished the dragon, didn't you?" She laughed, her green eyes sparkling.

"…yeah, by kissing it."

She grabbed his hand, making Tifa pale, "But it worked, didn't it? You really are like a prince."

Cloud stiffened at her comment, "…It must be late, Aerith. We have a lot to do in the morning."

The Cetra next to him gave a slight frown, "Not too late. We can do one other thing…"

"I…"

"Look, Cloud." Aerith grabbed his other hand, making him focus his Mako eyes on her face. "…I want to meet you."

_Oh man… here it comes._ Tifa had to admit she admired Aerith's boldness. _I've known Cloud for how long now? And I can't even tell him that he screwed up a memory…_

However, Cloud was the one who spoke next, "…I'm right here."

"No…I want to meet you. The _real _you," Aerith gave him a soft smile, encouraging Cloud to respond.

_What? What does she mean?_ Tifa failed to notice that the group of tourists was slowly thinning away. She cringed as Cloud's face turned in her direction, his blue eyes seeming to catch her for a second. _…Great._

But he gave no hint that he saw her. "We have a lot of time for that, Aerith. But you need to rest. I can see you're tired."

"…I guess I am. Just tell me you had fun, Cloud."

He smiled lightly, "I had fun."

Aerith shook her own head, "…It's just you act so much like him sometimes, and then…" She paused and glanced back up at the blonde, "Goodnight, Cloud." The Cetra gracefully trailed off towards the ghost hotel, leaving Cloud in the center of the yellow dome, scratching his head over her last statement.

Tifa sighed in relief as Aerith vanished back to the hotel. _All I have to do is wait for Cloud to…_

"Is something wrong, Tifa?"

Her brown eyes flashed as the blonde was suddenly behind her, tapping her shoulder, "…Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

Tifa paused, pushing back her bangs, "I…I just wanted to have fun, you know? Before we start off again."

His eyes glanced at her curiously, "…Okay." He started to walk back towards the hotel.

_Don't wait…remember? _ "..Hey, Cloud."

Cloud immediately stopped and turned, looking at her expectantly.

"Why don't we spend some time together?' She practically froze at the statement, not used to being so blunt. Tifa smiled, trying to fit the persona.

He rubbed his arm, not able to face her directly, "…There's a Gondola."

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. _She saw Cloud's slight apprehension to her request. "Hey, I only meant if you wanted to, Cloud. If you're too…"

"…No, no! Come on." He soon retreated to the Round Square portal.

The area of Round Square was outside, dimly lit with hanging lanterns. On the right was a little shack that sold the Gondola tickets, a tour of the Gold Saucer area.

After receiving their tickets, Tifa and Cloud entered the wooden Gondola. The vehicle started out rocky, causing Tifa to abruptly shift in her seat. She blushed seeing Cloud perfectly balanced, staring at her unkempt form. "Oops." Tifa straightened herself back up and peered out the window. "Oh, how pretty."

She arched her body forward, beaming at the landscape pouring out from underneath them. The desert had an iridescent blue tone in the moonlight, a reflective glow from the Gold Saucer structure itself. The Gold Saucer was a tad awkwardly shaped, reminiscent of a distorted tree, but Tifa couldn't help but smile. It was the moment, more than the image that was dazzling.

Tifa turned to Cloud, who seemed to be facing forward—at her the whole time. She smirked and turned back to the window, "Look, Cloud!"

There were bright lights bursting in the sky, matching the Gold Saucer's neon colored signs in energy and ferocity. They were streaming across the Gondola line. Each ember of the fireworks fell like a star to the ground, truly enveloping the sky with a fantastic display.

Tifa glanced quickly to her right, seeing the lights reflected in Cloud's blue eyes. She eased her way back to the seat, unable to get that image out of her head. "Wow…"

Cloud turned back to face her, his cheeks vaguely flushed. He simply nodded.

_Do it Tifa…_ It was so perfect. Here they were, all alone in probably one of the most romantic situations possible. "I'm just going to say it, Cloud." Tifa caught her breath.

The blonde's eyes furrowed, confused by her sudden statement. "…What?"

Her head fell down. _It's okay, just tell him. _She laughed at herself, "Aerith would just be able to say, wouldn't she?" The smile soon faded, and Tifa found herself facing the window again. "Cloud…sometimes being old friends is hard. I mean, timing is everything."

She shook her head at the irony of that statement. _How awful is this timing? One of us could die in the next battle…he just went on a date with Aerith! Who am I to say anything? What if I'm forfeiting his own happiness with her and hers with him?_

"Yeah, you're right." His voice was soft, almost pleading.

"Cloud…..I….." Tifa's throat was stuck. The Gondola was heading back to the ground; the moment had passed. "…I…" She stood up swiftly with the stopping carriage, "I really had fun tonight."

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, "Is that what you wanted to say, Tifa?"

"Yeah! Yeah…I had a lot of fun, thank you." _It's better off that I didn't say it…not yet at least. _ "We better head back, it's late."

They both walked back to the hotel, glancing at one another hesitantly. Cloud walked up the stairs, "I'll see you tomorrow, Tifa," and left for his room.

"Yeah…tomorrow." She tried to suppress her disappointment. "There's always tomorrow." Tifa muttered to herself.

Her hotel room was quiet, both her roommates asleep in their single beds. Tifa collapsed on her own, managing to take off her boots this time. _Like Cait Sith said, be patient…everything will fall into place one day. _

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_**A/N:**

**I realize it's not my best work :/ but I hope you still enjoyed. Review guys and I'll be sure to work on that longer story (which will be better, trust me).**

**Oh and on a side note: it confuses me that in order to get Tifa as your date in ff7, you have to not be nice to Aerith or not use her in your party. I'm pretty sure I was nice...and I used her a lot, but I still got Tifa (...not that I mind obviously). Just strange to me :p  
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